Lyr Add: Wedding of McGinnis to His Cross-Eyed Pet

Subject: The Marriage of the Ginnis
From: GUEST,Andy at Work
Date: 08 Jan 01 - 09:01 AM

Full Title - The Marriage of the Ginnis to his cross eyed pet. By Willie Kemp I heard this song last week in Glasgow on an old 78 record, lyrics completely undecipherable. Can anybody help? Andy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Marriage of the Ginnis
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 09 Jan 01 - 01:59 PM

The Wedding of M'Ginnis to his Cross-eyed Pet is in Kerr's Cornkisters, still in print and purchasable in Glasgow after all these years, I think. [Certainly its sister publication, Buchan Bothy Ballads is.] Used to cost 3/6p, now £4. Too long to type in, but I could mail you a photocopy if you give a mail address.

Subject: Lyr Add: WEDDIN' O' MCGINNIS TAE HIS CROSS-EYED...
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 29 Oct 02 - 04:37 PM

At joe offer's suggestion I checked out "unanswered threads" and found this. I have this on a commercially (but cheaply) produced cassette of Willie Kemp (ACLMC1) but I can't make out a few words. There is a version in the DT as "Sheelicks" but it has great chunks of another song (McGinty's Meal and Ale) in it. The remainder is alike in parts (and the whole in spirit) to Kemp's version, so here it is, heavily edited:

THE WEDDIN' O' MCGINNIS TAE HIS CROSS-EYED PET

Come and listen to my sang and I'h tell ye' o' a waddin',
On the 31st of July in a town cahed Sleepy Steadin;
A' the countryside was there, though they didnae get a biddin
At the weddin' o' McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet

cho: Tootle-ootle went the flute! Diddle, diddle, went the fiddle,
And the jing-a-ring went up and doon and back and through the middle,
And the jing-a-ring went roond aboot like sheelicks in a riddle
At the weddin' o' McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet

O, a tailor wi ' a timmer leg, he danced wi' a' was intae't,
In the middle o' a foursome reel, he brak it through and tint it
He gaed hame wi' a barra-shaft and he was quite contented,
At the weddin' o' McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet

For there were a chiel cam ower the field, he min't ye on a arra'
He come there on a bicycle, was hurled hame on a barra;
And of a' the ball I ever was at, I never was at a marra,
At the weddin' o' McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet

We had plenty to eat, we had frost-bitten liver
As sure as I'm here, and as sure as I never
And the taste o' the beef nearly gied us a' the feather
At the weddin' o' McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet

Noo, there was a chiel come ower the field, his name was Butter Scotty
He was made up wi' a plaster and a potty;
He come there wi' a hundred pound, he gaed hame wi' but ae notie
. At the weddin' o' McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet

Glossary: sheelicks: husked grain
riddle: sieve
ben: in
tint: lost
barra-shaft: handle of a wheelbarrow
chiel: man
min't: reminded
hurled: driven, carried, hauled
marra: equal

From Traveller's Songs, MacColl and Seeger
Collected from Maggie McPhee

Both this and "McGinty's Meal and Ale" were written by George Bruce Thomson of New Deer, Aberdeenshire, and the songs have the same tune - I could probably manage an abc if anyone particularly wants it. Note that in the first verse Kemp sings "July" as "Julie" for scansion.

Subject: ADD:The Weddin' o' McGinnis tae His Cross-eyed Pet
From: MMario
Date: 29 Oct 02 - 04:44 PM

weerover - the tune is already in the DT if it is the same as 'McGinty's Meal and Ale'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Marriage of the Ginnis
From: Wolfgang
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 02:16 AM

weerover,

just to tell you that even if you get little public acknowledgement and the original requester has long given up looking for the song, there are a lot of people here that enjoy reading new lyrics. So even if we don't post to say thank you each time, we watch and are grateful.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Marriage of the Ginnis
From: GUEST,Ian Murison
Date: 29 Sep 11 - 11:26 AM

The verses I remember went......
We`d lots of fun and frolic tho` we had na a piana
But a fluter wi`a nose for all the earth like a banana
He came there upon a bycycle went home upon a barra
At the wedding....

A Fiddler he came down the toon from reems o` Batter Scotty
wi` a fiddle it was claggit up wi batter glue and potty
The Fiddler he got paralysed the fiddler he got dotty
At the wedding...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Marriage of the Ginnis
From: GUEST,Auldtimer
Date: 29 Sep 11 - 12:02 PM

I understood "sheelicks" to be potatoes and being riddled to remove the worst of the dirt, so the dancers were bouncing arround in a similar fashion.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Marriage of the Ginnis
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 01:22 PM

This text is from Folk-Song in Buchan: and Folk-Song of the North-East by Gavin Grieg (Hatboro, Pa., Folklore Associates, 1963.). I had to piece this together from several "snippets" so it might not be complete and there could be some errors.

THE WEDDIN' OF MCGINNIS TO HIS CROSS-EYED PET

Pey attention tae my sang, an' I'll tell ye o' a weddin'
On the thirty-first o' July, at the toon o' Sleepy'-steadin';
A' the countryside wis there, for ye didna need a biddin
Tae the mairrage o' M'Ginnis tull his cross-eyed pet.

There wis lots o' fun an' frolic, tho' we hidna a piana
But a fluter wi' a niz for a' the earth like a banana,
An' a piper wi' his chanter in a seek that heeld guana
At the mairrage o' M'Ginnis tull his cross-eyed pet.

Tootle tootle gaed the flute, fiddle fiddle gaed the fiddle
They gaed reelin' oot an' in again, an' up an' doon the middle;
An' they ging-a-ringit roon aboot like sheelicks roon a riddle.
At the mairrage o' M'Ginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

A fiddler he cam' doon the howe, fae Mains o' Butterscotlie,
An' his fiddle it wis cobbit up wi' batter, glue, an' potty;
If the instrument wis paralyst the fiddler he gaed dotty.
At the mairrage o' M'Ginnis tull his cross-eyed pet.

Av, an' syne there wis some singin' fae a cheelie ca'd Macara,
Till he tried them wi' a versie o' a sang they ca' Ta-ra-ra;
He gaed there upon a bicycle, hit hame upon a harra
Fae the mairrage o' M'Ginnis tull his cross-eyed pet.

A tinkler wi' a timmer leg he danc't like ane dementit;
In the middle o' a fowersome reel he brak' it throu' an' tint it,
But they men't it wi' a barra tram, an' he gaed hame contentit
Fae the mairrage o' M'Ginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

Fin M'Ginnis yokit tee tae dance ye never iaw his marra,
'Twid-a' min't ye on a grubber dancin' wi' an iron harra,
Tull he tum'lt ower the sweetie wife an' landit in her barra,
At the mairrage o' M'Ginnis tull his cross-eyed pet.

There wis pottit heid an' herrin' reed, and jeely on the table,
An' a rooth o' tatie bannocks near as heich s the toor o' Babel;
There wis roly-polys roon the sides, an' hens at ilka gable
At the mairrage o' M'Ginnis tull his cross-eyed pet.

Syne some gaed east an some gaed wast, an' tee the door wis yarkit,
For the din wis like the skellin' o' a Faistern Even market ;
But I fell doon an open drain, an' baith my shins wis barkit,
Stytterin' hameworth fae the mairrage o' M'Ginnis tull his cross-eyed pet.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Marriage of the Ginnis
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 03:47 PM

WorldCat.org lists these recordings of THE WEDDIN' OF MCGINNIS TO HIS CROSS-EYED PET:

On 78-rpm records:
by Tom Wright and Tom Best (1949)
by Willie Kemp (unknown date)

on LPs:
Joe Gordon Folk Four, "The Gay Gordon" (1960)
Willie Kemp, Tom Wright, and Curly Mackay, "The Cornkisters" (196-)

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Wedding of McGinnis to His Cross-Eyed Pet
From: GUEST,Jim Fleming
Date: 20 Feb 20 - 06:51 AM

I think there are some mondegreens in they lyrics above.
Eg: second verse. I have always sung the third line as " An a piper wi a chanter and a seck wad had wee Anna"
Last verse a second line " For the din was like the skillet o a fermer's feein market"

I learned this song many years ago from my grandfather who was a Buchan loon from Longside. In his young days he attended mony feein markets.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Wedding of McGinnis to His Cross-Eyed Pet
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 20 Feb 20 - 09:17 AM

Roud 5158

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Wedding of McGinnis to His Cross-Eyed Pet
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 20 Feb 20 - 09:30 AM

I`m adding these lyrics as is in the event the site from which they come disappears. It may add some stanzas to Jim Dixon`s transliteration. From
http://www.nefa.net/archive/collections/bandbpages/trans/1994026t.htm


'The Weddin o Mcginnis till His Cross-Eyed Pet'

Come and listen tae ma sang and I'll tell ye o a weddin,
On the thirty first o Julie at the toon o Sleepy Steadin,
A the countryside were there for they didnae need a biddin,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pig.

We hid plenty fun and frolic though we didnae hae a piano,
There wis a fluter wi a nose for a' the earth like a banana,
An a piper wi a chaunter wi a sacred ???,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

Toodle-oot gaed the flute, tiddle-iddle gaed the fiddle,
They gaed reelin oot and in again and up and doon the middle,
They ???? a' roon aboot like sheelicks roon a riddle,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

A fiddler he came doon the howe fae Mains o Butterscottie,
His fiddle it got cloggit up wi butter, glue and putty,
His instrument got paralysed, the fiddler he got dottie,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

A soutar wi the timmer leg he danced again demented,
In the middle o a four-some reel he broke it throw and dented,
Sine he mended wi a barra tram and he gaed hame contented,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

Syne Mcginnis, he began tae dance, ye niver seen his marra,
For he mind ye o a grubber dancin wi an iron harra,
Till he cowpit ower the sweetie wife and landed in her barra,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

We hid potted heid, and herrin reed, and jeely on the table,
And a reef o sauty bannocks nearly ??? ower a riddle,
There were roly-polys roon aboot, and hens and ilkae ???,
At the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

Syne some gaed East and some gaed West, and seen the door wis yarkit,
For the din wis like the scalin o an Easter feein market,
But I fell doon an open drain and baith my shins were barkit,
As I gaed hame fae the weddin o my cross-eyed pet.

Toodle-oot gaed the flute, tiddle-iddle gaed the fiddle,
They gaed reelin oot and in again and up and doon the middle,
They ???? a' roon aboot like sheelicks roon a riddle,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

04 [some verses, resung]

Syne Mcginnis he began tae dance, ye niver seen his marra,
For he mind ye o a grubber dancin wi an iron harra,
Till he cowpit ower the sweetie wife and landed in her barra,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

We hid potted heid, and herrin reed, and jeely on the table,
And a reef o sauty bannocks nearly ??? ower a ???,
There were roly-polys roon aboot, and hens and ilkae ???,
At the waddin o Mcginnis till his cross-eyed pet.

Syne some gaed East and some gaed West, and seen the door wis yarkit,
For the din wis like the scalin o an Easter feein market,
But I fell doon an open drain and baith my shins were barkit,
As I gaed hameward fae the weddin o my cross-eyed pet.

Toodle-oot gaed the flute, tiddle-iddle gaed the fiddle,
They gaed reelin oot and in again and up and doon the middle,
They ???? a' roon aboot like sheelicks roon a riddle,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.

[MB] At's mebbe better! [laughs].

[TM] And where did you come across that one.

[MB] Well, I dinna ken far I get them fae. I suppose ma brither, because he sang at eens ye see, he sang a that kin o eens. On Hogmanay nicht! At's fan he sung em. He'd a drink in. [laughs].

[TM] He wouldn't sing at any other time.

[MB] No, he aye sung at een on Hogmanay nicht, 'The Weddin o Mcginnis.' Mm hmm, aye, ah weel, weel. Whit time?

Subject: Lyr Add: WADDIN O MCGINNIS TAE HIS CROSS-EYED PET
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Mar 20 - 07:24 PM

From Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen: Travellers' Songs, Stories and Tunes of the Fetterangus Stewarts by Elizabeth Stewart (University Press of Mississippi, 2012), page 199:

(This book also contains musical notation for one voice.)


THE WADDIN O MCGINNIS TAE HIS CROSS-EYED PET

1. Pay attention tae ma sang an I'll tell yese o a waddin
On the thirty-first o July at a place caaed Sleepy Steadin
Aa the countryside wis there tho they didna get a biddin
At the waddin o McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet.

CHORUS: Flootle-oot went the flute; fiddle-diddle went the fiddle.
We danced roon an roon an in an thro the middle.
We jing-a-ringed it roon aboot like sheeligs in a riddle
At the mairriage o McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet.

2. We had lots o fun an frolics tho we hidna a piana
But a fluter wi a nose for aa the world like a banana
A piper an his chanter an his bags blew up a Gwana
At the mairriage o McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet.

3. We hid herrin heid and potted heid and jeelie on the table
A wreath o tattie bannocks near the heights o tower o Babel.
And every een they sat doon an ate up aa they're able
At the mairriage o McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet.

4. A fiddler chiel cam doon the hauf fae Mains of Butterscottie
His fiddle it got cloggit up wi butter, glue and putty
Tho his instrument wass paralysed the fiddler he got dottie
At the waddin o McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet.

5. Noo a tinker on a timmer leg he danced till it wass ended
In the middle o a foursome reel they broke it aye intented
He got haud o a barra shaft and he gaed hame contented
Fae the waddin o McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet.

6. Noo some run east an some run west an aye the door wis yarkit
For the din wis like the scalin o an Easter feein marrket
Bit I fell doon an open drain an baith my shins were barkit
Fae the waddin o McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Wedding of McGinnis to His Cross-Eyed Pet
From: Tradsinger
Date: 16 Mar 20 - 05:49 AM

I am sure that the song "Billy Johnson's Ball" is based on this song. The tune is very similar, as are some of the phrases in the chorus.
http://glostrad.com/billy-johnsons-ball/?fwp_search_browse=billy+johnson

Tradsinger

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Wedding of McGinnis to His Cross-Eyed Pet
From: GUEST,Katy
Date: 10 Mar 23 - 12:44 PM

Thank you for the sets of words above. It's possible to hear Wille Kemp singing the full song on RareTunes.Org, if anyone is interested.

A couple of small comments on the sets of words: sheelick (there are various spellings) does indeed refer to the chaff and small pieces of straw that are sifted out at winnowing, and a 'riddle' is the wide sieve (not the kitchen kind!) that is used in gardening.

The verse about the man with the 'timmer leg' is:
The soutar [shoemaker] wi' the wooden leg, he danced like ane dementit
In the middle of a fowersome reel he brak' it through and tint [lost] it
But we men't [mended] it wi' a barra tram [handle of a wheelbarrow] and he gaed hame contentit
Frae the the waddin' o' McGinnis tae his cross-eyed pet'.

The final verse refers to 'the skailin' o' an Easter feein' market'. 'Skailing' means dispersal - as children 'skail' after school, or the congregation 'skails' after the kirk service is ended.

I'm curious about the 'sang they call "Ta-ra-ra"' and wondered why it landed Macara in a wheelbarrow going home. I speculate that it might be Lottie Collins famous 'Ta ra ra boom-de-ay' music-hall song, with its high-kicking routine, in which case maybe Macara performed it so vigorously that he did himself a mischief? But this is just a guess!

Subject: Lyr Add: A GLORIOUS WEDDING (trad. W. Va.)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Mar 23 - 11:24 PM

I don’t know what to make of this; it does concern a wedding to a cross-eyed pet, but otherwise, the similarity seems pretty slender.

From Folk-Songs of the South, edited by John Harrington Cox (Harvard University Press, 1925), page 510:


A GLORIOUS WEDDING
Communicated by Miss Sallie Evans, Elkins, Randolph County; obtained from Miss Eleanor Keim, who got it from Lawson Ketterman, who learned it from his father.

1. I will sing you a song of a comical style.
If it don't make you laugh, it will surely make you smile.
It's about a wedding, a glorious affair.
As I was the bridegroom, I happened to be there.

CHORUS: Up on the mountains, underneath the ground,
Where the sweet tobacco never can be found,
As long as I remember, I never shall forget
The night that I was married to the cross-eyed pet.

2. All about the place I will tell you, if I can.
I'll start at the commencement, and stop where I began.
Cider and beer on the table were put,
As much as you could see with both eyes shut.

3. Old John McGill got as full as an egg.
He fell in the corner and broke his wooden leg.
He shouted for a doctor; "Shut up," said Johnny Green.
"You don't want a doctor; it's a jointer that you need."

4. One fellow there, called Bottle-nosed Dick,
Said he would show them a conjuring trick.
By picking up a glass of another man's beer,
Before you could wink your eye, he'd make it disappear.

5. The owner of the beer was so pleased with the joke
That he hoped Dick would die with a paralytic stroke.
They habbered and they jabbered and from words came to blows.
They kicked one another till the nails fell off their toes.